MILAN — The 2026 Winter Olympics are wrapping up today with the closing ceremony at Verona Olympic Arena.

Hockey captain and gold medalist Hilary Knight and ice dance silver medalist Evan Bates are the flag bearers for Team USA.

The United States will leave the Milano Cortina Games with 33 medals (12 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze), second in the standings behind Norway (41).

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates from the closing ceremony. Follow along.

LA28 preview: Kate Hudson has us ‘California Dreamin’

After the close to these Winter Olympics, NBC shifted to summer dreams with a commercial for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. And with it, we all got Kate Hudson singing The Mamas & the Papas’ famous ‘California Dreamin.”

Arrivederci, Milano Cortina Games

The opera characters return one last time. Rigoletto knows his work is done, and he can returnto rest in the depths of the arena, where the costumes and scenery from hundreds of shows are crammed. With a wave, he disappears into the ‘magic box’ where he rests, awaiting a new and extraordinary adventure.

And that will put a bow on the closing ceremony.

French Alps, you’re up

Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee, officially closes the book on these Milano Cortina Games. And the French Alps are officially on the clock.

And the closing ceremony party kicks up a notch with Major Lazer, led by Diplo, performs. Along with MØ, Nyla and Alfa.

Final medal count Olympics 2026

The final medal tally from the 2026 Winter Olympics:

• 1. Norway: 41 Total (18 Gold, 12 Silver, 11 Bronze)
• 2. United States: 33 Total (12 Gold, 12 Silver, 9 Bronze)
• 3. Italy: 30 Total (10 Gold, 6 Silver, 14 Bronze)
• 4. Germany: 26 Total (8 Gold, 10 Silver, 8 Bronze)
• 5. Japan: 24 Total (5 Gold, 7 Silver, 12 Bronze)
• 6. France: 23 Total (8 Gold, 9 Silver, 6 Bronze)
• 6. Switzerland: 23 Total (6 Gold, 9 Silver, 8 Bronze)
• 7. Canada: 21 Total (5 Gold, 7 Silver, 9 Bronze)
• 8. Netherlands: 20 Total (10 Gold, 7 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• 10. Austria: 18 Total (5 Gold, 8 Silver, 5 Bronze)
• 10. Sweden: 18 Total (8 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Bronze)
• 12. China: 15 Total (5 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Bronze)
• 13. South Korea: 10 Total (3 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• 14. Australia: 6 Total (3 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 14. Finland: 6 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 5 Bronze)
• 16. Czech Republic: 5 Total (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 16. Great Britain: 5 Total (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 18. Slovenia: 4 Total (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 18. Poland: 4 Total (0 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 20. Spain: 3 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 20. New Zealand: 3 Total (0 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 22. Latvia: 2 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 22. Bulgaria: 2 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 24. Brazil: 1 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Kazakhstan: 1 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Denmark: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Estonia: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Georgia: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Individual Neutral Athletes: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Belgium: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)

Olympic flag handover ceremony

The mayors of Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo present the Olympic Flag to the President of theInternational Olympic Committee, who then hands off to the hosts of the next WinterGames, French Alps.

The French flag is raised by the Italian Air Force’s Guard of Honour.

Where are the 2030 Winter Olympics?

The next Winter Games will be held in the French Alps, involving the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. The four main clusters that will be used will be Nice, Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Briançon. The 2030 Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 1-17, 2026.

What is ‘Il Mondo’?

The song playing during the ‘Water Cycle’ portion of the closing ceremony is ‘Il Mondo.’ The song was released in 1965 and performed by Jimmy Fontana and arranged by Ennio Morricone.

The song has become a part of popular culture, appearing in the soundtracks of many films. It isone of the most well-known Italian songs internationally, ranking third on the list of the 250 best Italian songs.

Final Olympic medals awarded

The tradition of awarding the final Olympic event during the closing ceremony was first introduced at the 2004 Athens Games, following the victory of Italian athlete Stefano Baldini in the men’s marathon.

At the Milano Cortina Games, it is the women’s and men’s 50 km classic mass start cross-country skiing. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson won the women’s race, while record-breaking Norwegian Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the men’s race.

Verona Arena

The closing ceremony for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games are being held at the iconic Verona Olympic Arena, which is located in Verona, Italy — roughly two hours away from Milan and roughly three hours from Cortina d’Ampezzo, the two host cities of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The Verona Olympic Arena is the third-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy, and was built in 30 AD to host gladiator battles. — John Leuzzi

Olympics rings

The Olympic Rings are five interlocking rings – blue, black, red, yellow and green – createdby Pierre de Coubertin in 1913. They are symbolic of the unity of the five inhabited continents and the coming together of athletes from all over the world. They were presented at the 1914 Olympic Congress in Paris and first displayed at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

Contrary to popular belief, it is the five rings themselves that represent the five continents, not the colors of these rings. In fact, the six colors represented on the Olympic Flag – which includes the white background – werechosen because at least one of these colors can be seen on the flag of every nation.

Closing ceremony broadcasters

NBC’s broadcasters for the closing ceremony are Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weird, along with reporters Andrea Joyce and Lewis Johnson.

Alysa Liu on her future

The NBC crew caught up with Team USA star Alysa Liu, who won two gold medals at these Games, and asked her about her future in figure skating.

‘I have no plans to leave yet,’ she said. ‘I can’t imagine not skating next year.’

Liu had previously called competing at the 2022 Beijing Games ‘a job,’ but said the Milano Cortina Games were ‘definitely not a job.’

‘I just feel so lucky that I get to do this, and I love being an athlete. It’s the coolest thing in the world,’ she said.

Who is Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo?

Why does Greece go first at Olympics?

It’s tradition! Greece is the birthplace of the Olympic Games and holds this honor at every Olympics.

‘It was at Amsterdam 1928 that the tradition of the Greek delegation marching first was introduced – owing to the status of the founding country of the ancient Olympic Games,’ the official Olympics website reads.

Olympic flame arrives

The Flame, the very one that lit the cauldrons in Milano and Cortina after a 12,000 km journey, has arrived inVerona. Indeed, into the Verona. It’s time for the Olympic athletes to enter the arena.

Who is playing the Italian anthem?

Paolo Fresu, one of the world’s most influential trumpeters, begins the Italian anthem as the flag is hooked to the flag pole and raised. Fresu has recorded more than 500 albums since the 1980s.

The Choir of the Fondazione Arena di Verona sings from the Teatro Filarmonico, the second venue for thisceremony.

Celebrating Italy

The Italian flag arrives and the anthem of Italy is played.

Inside the Teatro Filarmonico

The Teatro Filarmonico di Verona is one of Italy’s leading opera houses, and features performances by the Choirand Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, which has presented opera, ballet and symphonic music for more than 50 years.

The theater is owned by the Accademia Filarmonica, founded in 1543, the oldest active musical institution in Europe. The theater opened on Jan. 6, 1732 with Antonio Vivaldi’s La Fida Ninfa. It was rebuilt and reopened after a fire in 1754, it also hosted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Destroyed by bombing in 1945, it was rebuilt to faithfully reflect its original layout.

Closing ceremony opens at the opera

The closing ceremony begins with a behind the scenes look at the world of the opera, with characters spilling out to the arena to welcome the athletes. Iconic characters such as Rigoletto, Figaro, Aida and Madama Butterfly perform.

What time is Olympics closing ceremony?

The closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Where to watch Olympics closing ceremony?

NBC is broadcasting the closing ceremony, and Peacock is live streaming it.

USA flag bearers for closing ceremony

Hilary Knight and Evan Bates have been chosen as Team USA’s flag bearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday.

Knight is the captain of the gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team, and her third-period goal against Canada ended up sending the game into overtime, where Megan Keller’s goal four minutes into the extra period gave the U.S. a 2-1 victory and their third gold medal in the event.

‘I’m so, so honored to be part of this team. You guys are all so wonderful. And I think I can speak for Evan and myself when I say we are all so proud of everything you guys have accomplished and the people that you are and the people that you’ve become to be here today,’ Knight said.

Bates also won a gold medal in the figure skating team event and another silver medal in ice dance with his partner and wife, Madison Chock.

Closing ceremony flag bearers

• Greece: Maria Eeni Tsiovolou (Alpine skiing)
• Albania: Volunteer
• Andorra: Volunteer
• Saudi Arabia: Volunteer
• Argentina: Veronica Maria Ravenna (luge), Franco Dal Farra (cross-country skiing)
• Armenia: Volunteer
• Australia: Danielle Scott (freestyle skiing), Cooper Woods (freestyle skiing)
• Austria: Janine Flock (skeleton), Alessandro Haemmerle (snowboard)
• Azerbaijan: Volunteer
• Belgium: TBD
• Benin: Nathan Tchibozo (Alpine skiing)
• Bolivia: Timo Juhani Gronlund (cross-country skiing)
• Bosnia & Herzegovina: Volunteer
• Brazil: Edson Luques Bindilatti (bobsled)
• Bulgaria: TBD
• Canada: TBD
• Czechia: Martina Sablikova (speed skating), Metodej Jilek (speed skating)
• Chile: Stephanie Joffroy (freestyle skiing)
• China: Su Yiming (freestyle skiing)
• Cyprus: Yianno Kouyoumdjian (Alpine skiing)
• Colombia: Volunteer
• Korea: Choi Minjeong (short-track speed skating), Hwang Daeheon (short-track speed skating)
• Croatia: Tena Hadzic (cross-country skiing), Marko Skender (cross-country skiing)
• Denmark: Anne Buenemann de Besche (biathlon), Viktor Hald Thorup (speed skating)
• Ecuador: Volunteer
• UA Emirates: Piera Hudson (Alpine skiing), Alexander Astridge (Alpine skiing)
• Eritrea: Shannon Abeda (Apline skiing)
• Estonia: Niina Petrokina (figure skating), Marten Liiv (speed skating)
• Philippines: Tallulah Proulx (Alpine skiing), Francis Ceccarelli (Alpine skiing)
• Finland: Iida Karhunen (figure skating)
• Georgia: Nino Tsiklauri (Alpine skiing), Luka Berulava (figure skating)
• Germany: Tobias Wendl (luge), Tobias Arlt (luge)
• Jamaica: Volunteer
• Japan: Kaori Sakamoto (figure skating), Wataru Morishige (speed skating)
• Great Britain: TBD
• Guinea-Bissau: Winston Tang (Alpine skiing)
• Haiti: Richardson Viano (Alpine skiing)
• Hong Kong: Volunteer
• India: Stanzin Lundup (cross-country skiing)
• Iran: Sadaf Savehshemshaki (Alpine skiing)
• Ireland: TBD
• Iceland: Dagur Benediktsson (cross-country skiing)
• Israel: TBD
• Kazakhstan: Mikhail Shaidorov (figure skating)
• Kenya: Issa Gachingiri Laborde Die Pere (Alpine skiing)
• Kosovo: Drin Kokaj (Alpine skiing)
• Kyrgyzstan: Volunteer
• Latvia: Patricija Eiduka (cross-country skiing), Roberts Kruzbergs (short-track speed skating)
• Lebanon: Samer Tawk (cross-country skiing)
• Liechtenstein: Volunteer
• Lithuania: Meda Variakojyte (figure skating), Modestas Vaiciulis (cross-country skiing)
• Luxembourg: Matthieu Osch (Alpine skiing)
• North Macedonia: Volunteer
• Madagascar: Mialitiana Clerc (Alpine skiing), Mathieu Gravier (Alpine skiing)
• Malaysia: Aruwin Salehhuddin (Alpine skiing)
• Malta: Volunteer
• Morocco: Volunteer
• Mexico: Sarah Schleper (Alpine skiing), Donovan Carrillo (figure skating)
• Republic of Moldova: Iulian Luchin (cross-country skiing)
• Monaco: Volunteer
• Mongolia: Ariuntungalag Enkhbayar (cross-country skiing), Achbadrakh Batmunkh (cross-country skiing)
• Montenegro: Volunteer
• Nigeria: Samuel Uduigowme Ikpefan (cross-country skiing)
• Norway: Aurora Grinden Lovas (speed skating), Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (cross-country skiing)
• New Zealand: TBD
• Netherlands: TBD
• Pakistan: Muhammad Karim (Alpine skiing)
• Poland: Gabriela Topolska (short-track speed skating), Vladimir Semirunniy (speed skating)
• Puerto Rico: Volunteer
• Portugal: Jose Cabeca (cross-country skiing)
• Romania: Julia Sauter (figure skating)
• San Marino: Rafael Minin (Alpine skiing)
• Serbia: Volunteer
• Singapore: Faiz Basha Munwar Basha (Alpine skiing)
• Slovakia: Rebeka Cully (ski mountaineering) Jakub Siarnik (ski mountaineering)
• Slovenia: Lila Grace Lapanja (Alpine skiing)
• Spain: Ana Alonso Rodriguez (ski mountaineering), Oriol Cardona Coll (ski mountaineering)
• South Africa: Thomas Weir (Alpine skiing)
• Sweden: Volunteer
• Switzerland: TBD
• Chinese Taipei: Sophia Tsu Velicer (cross-country skiing)
• Thailand: Karen Chanloung (cross-country skiing), Mark Chanloung (cross-country skiing)
• Trinidad and Tobago: De Aundre John (bobsled)
• Turkey: Volunteer
• Ukraine: Anhelina Brykina (freestyle skiing), Dmytro Kotovskyi (freestyle skiing)
• Hungary: Maria Pavlova (figure skating), Alexei Sviatchenko (figure skating)
• Uruguary: Volunteer
• Uzbekistan: Volunteer
• Venezuela: Volunteer
• United States: Hilary Knight (ice hockey), Evan Bates (figure skating)
• France: TBD
• Italy: Lisa Vittozzi (biathlon), Davide Ghiotto (speed skating)

Are the Olympics over?

Technically, no. The closing ceremony will mark the official end to the Milano Cortina Games. However, there are no more events on the schedule. Competition ended with Team USA’s 2-1 overtime win against Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game.

Why are so many countries skipping the closing ceremony?

There’s going to be even fewer athletes at the closing ceremony than usual.

Twenty-eight of the 92 countries at 2026 Milano Cortina Games won’t have an athlete flagbearer because none of their athletes will be at the ceremony. Another 35 will have only one flagbearer because they won’t any athletes of the other gender present.

The United States will have both flagbearers, hockey captain Hilary Knight and ice dancer Evan Bates.

While not having enough athletes to be flagbearers is a bit out of the ordinary, it’s also not necessarily a surprise. The closing ceremony always has a smaller athlete contingent because so many leave when their events are over. That’s especially true at the Winter Games, because many World Cup circuits resume a few days after the Olympics end and several sports have world championships within the next month.

The women’s Alpine speed skiers, for example, have a race on Friday, Feb. 27. The speed skating world championships begin March 5.

But the widespread footprint of these Games also makes it difficult for athletes in the mountain clusters to get to Verona, site of the closing ceremony.

It’s a four-hour plus trip from Livigno to Verona, and three hours from Cortina. Both sites had events earlier Sunday – the women’s freeski halfpipe final was in Livigno while the women’s curling gold medal game and four-man bobsled were in Cortina – making it near-impossible for those athletes to make it to closing in time.

For countries that don’t have a male or female athlete available to be a flagbearer, a volunteer will carry the flag. For those that only have either a male or female athlete, there will only be one flagbearer. — Nancy Armour

Olympic closing ceremony time

The closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Who won men’s ice hockey gold medal game?

Who is Johnny Gaudreau?

Johnny Gaudreau was a former NHL star who was on track to play for the United States during these 2026 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died in a cycling accident in New Jersey on Aug. 29, 2024, after the pair were struck by a drunk driver.

The U.S. men’s hockey team paid homage to him throughout the tournament, hanging his jersey in their locker room. Gaudreau’s family members were also in attendance for Sunday’s gold medal game, and when Jack Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime, the Americans wasted no time parading Gaudreau’s jersey around the ice, honoring him as part of the championship team. — Jon Hoefling

Jack Hughes teeth

Team USA men’s ice hockey hero Jack Hughes slapped the game-winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada, but his ear-to-ear smile was missing something in the postgame celebration.

‘My first thought was, I looked down on the ice and saw my teeth,’ Hughes said, giving media members a big toothless grin on Sunday. ‘Like, here we go again…  I know the last time that happened, wasn’t really fun.’ — Cydney Henderson, Steve Gardner

This article discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore died yesterday at 25 years old. The NFL world continues to react to his death as the investigation continues in Floyd County, Indiana.

Current and former NFL players have paid tribute to the former Purdue Boilermakers and Arizona Cardinals wideout. Maxx Crosby, Hollywood Brown, J.J. Watt and Raheem Mostert were among the many to post to social media in Moore’s honor.

One former player shared his insight criticizing the league for its handling of mental health issues in players.

‘Imma keep it a stack.. I don’t care, I’m retired I’ll say what I want,’ former defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko wrote on X. ‘These NFL teams come out here and post these mental health awareness posts talking about they care about players ‘don’t be afraid to reach out’ etc. All they care about is what you bring to the table when it’s game day. Most players don’t wanna get help inside the building of an NFL organization because they know you’ll get looked at differently. You go to a staff member tell em you struggling watch how different they start treating and looking at you. I seen it first hand.’

Fehoko went undrafted in 2020 out of LSU but played for five years in the NFL. He spent the 2020 through 2022 seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers before a two-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

‘I’ll start believing they care about player health when the Owner, GM, & head coach treat everyone on that roster the same from the franchise QB to the janitor,’ he wrote. ‘Until then don’t tell me they care cause they posted some hotline number when (expletive) like this happens.’

Fehoko finished his statement by encouraging players to reach out to him if they’re struggling.

‘I’m here for any of my brothers that just wanna talk and shoot the (expletive). I love y’all. I care about y’all. I’m here for y’all.’

Fehoko similarly spoke out after the death of Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland.

Kneeland, 24, died by suicide in Frisco, Texas last November.

‘Sometimes as a man especially in the football world we’re afraid of being judged or looked at weak,’ Fehoko wrote in response on X. ‘Make it mandatory to have a sit down with guys cause most of em won’t take the initiative.’

Moore’s cause of death remains under investigation at time of publishing.

The medal ceremonies at the 2026 Winter Games have looked different from past Olympic ceremonies. Not only do athletes get their medals, but they earn a commemorative stuffed animal as well.

The animal in question? Tina the Stoat, one of the official mascots of the Milano Cortina Games.

This is one of those ideas that sounds great on paper, but when athletes who have dedicated their entire lives to being the best in the world at their sport finish just short of achieving that goal, many of them may not seem that thrilled to earn a stuffed stoat, as was evidenced when the Canadian men’s ice hockey team was handed their animals after losing the gold medal match in overtime to the United States.

But what is going on with these plushies? What is a stoat? And what is ‘The Flo’ that allegedly tags along?

Who is Tina the Stoat? What is ‘The Flo’?

Tina is one of the 2026 Olympics mascots, alongside sibling Milo.

The pair are joined by a group of six ‘impish’ creatures referred to as ‘The Flo.’ ‘The Flo’ are known for ‘never [leaving] their friends [Tina and Milo],’ per NBCOlympics.com. That group of six is then split up into two sets of triplets — one representing the Olympics and the other, the Paralympics.

As has become tradition in recent Olympics, each medalist is given a gift alongside their medal. In this instance, it is two plushies. Olympians are given a plush of Tina the Stoat as well as one of their corresponding Flo, while Paralympians are given a Milo the Stoat plush as well as one of their own corresponding Flo.

What is a stoat?

A stoat is a small mammal, part of the weasel family, but most closely related to otters and ferrets. One of the most interesting aspects of a stoat is how they change color. During the winter, they’ll turn white to blend in with their surroundings, taking after Tina. In the summer, they are brown, more closely resembling Milo.

Stoats are native to Eurasia and northern parts of North America. They were also introduced to New Zealand in the 19th century to control rabbit populations, but ended up having a negative effect on native bird populations.

Males of the population measure roughly between 7.4 and 12.8 inches long, while females usually come in slightly smaller, between 6.7 and 10.6 inches.

The 2026 Winter Olympics have ended, which means fans are now looking forward to the next Games, which takes place on American soil in Los Angeles.

To kick off the two-year wait, NBC released a promotional video featuring Kate Hudson singing ‘California Dreamin” on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The video showcased numerous Team USA stars like Katie Ledecky, Steph Curry and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the famous Los Angeles Coliseum and even the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 2028 Summer Olympics are the first stateside Games since 2002, when the Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City. Flag football will debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics for the first time, bringing the popular U.S. sport to the global stage in a non-tackle version.

Hudson’s newest movie, ‘Song Sung Blue’ alongside Hugh Jackman, is streaming exclusively on Peacock, an NBC platform, which explains the connection with the Olympics video.

The United States had a successful finish at the Milano-Cortina Games, finishing with the second-most gold medals and total medals of any country, only behind Norway. The U.S. ended Sunday, Feb. 22, with an overtime win over gold-medal favorite Canada in men’s hockey to win its first gold since 1980.

The United States finished with the most medals (126) at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris but was tied with China for the most gold medals with 40. The U.S. will certainly have extra motivation to dominate the gold medal count with the Games being held in the states.

For now, Team USA fans have Hudson to get them excited for the next Summer Games.

Kate Hudson, NBC kick off 2028 Los Angeles Olympics campaign

Here’s the full NBC promotional video with Hudson signing ‘California Dreamin”:

MILAN — The 2026 Winter Olympics are wrapping up today with the closing ceremony at Verona Olympic Arena.

Hockey captain and gold medalist Hilary Knight and ice dance silver medalist Evan Bates are the flag bearers for Team USA.

The United States will leave the Milano Cortina Games with 33 medals (12 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze), second in the standings behind Norway (41).

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates from the closing ceremony. Follow along.

Watch Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony on Peacock

LA28 preview: Kate Hudson has us ‘California Dreamin’

After the close to these Winter Olympics, NBC shifted to summer dreams with a commercial for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. And with it, we all got Kate Hudson singing The Mamas & the Papas’ famous ‘California Dreamin.”

Arrivederci, Milano Cortina Games

The opera characters return one last time. Rigoletto knows his work is done, and he can returnto rest in the depths of the arena, where the costumes and scenery from hundreds of shows are crammed. With a wave, he disappears into the ‘magic box’ where he rests, awaiting a new and extraordinary adventure.

And that will put a bow on the closing ceremony.

French Alps, you’re up

Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee, officially closes the book on these Milano Cortina Games. And the French Alps are officially on the clock.

And the closing ceremony party kicks up a notch with Major Lazer, led by Diplo, performs. Along with MØ, Nyla and Alfa.

Final medal count Olympics 2026

The final medal tally from the 2026 Winter Olympics:

• 1. Norway: 41 Total (18 Gold, 12 Silver, 11 Bronze)
• 2. United States: 33 Total (12 Gold, 12 Silver, 9 Bronze)
• 3. Italy: 30 Total (10 Gold, 6 Silver, 14 Bronze)
• 4. Germany: 26 Total (8 Gold, 10 Silver, 8 Bronze)
• 5. Japan: 24 Total (5 Gold, 7 Silver, 12 Bronze)
• 6. France: 23 Total (8 Gold, 9 Silver, 6 Bronze)
• 6. Switzerland: 23 Total (6 Gold, 9 Silver, 8 Bronze)
• 7. Canada: 21 Total (5 Gold, 7 Silver, 9 Bronze)
• 8. Netherlands: 20 Total (10 Gold, 7 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• 10. Austria: 18 Total (5 Gold, 8 Silver, 5 Bronze)
• 10. Sweden: 18 Total (8 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Bronze)
• 12. China: 15 Total (5 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Bronze)
• 13. South Korea: 10 Total (3 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• 14. Australia: 6 Total (3 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 14. Finland: 6 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 5 Bronze)
• 16. Czech Republic: 5 Total (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 16. Great Britain: 5 Total (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 18. Slovenia: 4 Total (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 18. Poland: 4 Total (0 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 20. Spain: 3 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 20. New Zealand: 3 Total (0 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 22. Latvia: 2 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 22. Bulgaria: 2 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 24. Brazil: 1 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Kazakhstan: 1 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Denmark: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Estonia: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Georgia: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Individual Neutral Athletes: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 24. Belgium: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)

Olympic flag handover ceremony

The mayors of Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo present the Olympic Flag to the President of theInternational Olympic Committee, who then hands off to the hosts of the next WinterGames, French Alps.

The French flag is raised by the Italian Air Force’s Guard of Honour.

Where are the 2030 Winter Olympics?

The next Winter Games will be held in the French Alps, involving the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. The four main clusters that will be used will be Nice, Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Briançon. The 2030 Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 1-17, 2026.

What is ‘Il Mondo’?

The song playing during the ‘Water Cycle’ portion of the closing ceremony is ‘Il Mondo.’ The song was released in 1965 and performed by Jimmy Fontana and arranged by Ennio Morricone.

The song has become a part of popular culture, appearing in the soundtracks of many films. It isone of the most well-known Italian songs internationally, ranking third on the list of the 250 best Italian songs.

Final Olympic medals awarded

The tradition of awarding the final Olympic event during the closing ceremony was first introduced at the 2004 Athens Games, following the victory of Italian athlete Stefano Baldini in the men’s marathon.

At the Milano Cortina Games, it is the women’s and men’s 50 km classic mass start cross-country skiing. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson won the women’s race, while record-breaking Norwegian Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the men’s race.

Verona Arena

The closing ceremony for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games are being held at the iconic Verona Olympic Arena, which is located in Verona, Italy — roughly two hours away from Milan and roughly three hours from Cortina d’Ampezzo, the two host cities of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The Verona Olympic Arena is the third-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy, and was built in 30 AD to host gladiator battles. — John Leuzzi

Olympics rings

The Olympic Rings are five interlocking rings – blue, black, red, yellow and green – createdby Pierre de Coubertin in 1913. They are symbolic of the unity of the five inhabited continents and the coming together of athletes from all over the world. They were presented at the 1914 Olympic Congress in Paris and first displayed at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

Contrary to popular belief, it is the five rings themselves that represent the five continents, not the colors of these rings. In fact, the six colors represented on the Olympic Flag – which includes the white background – werechosen because at least one of these colors can be seen on the flag of every nation.

Closing ceremony broadcasters

NBC’s broadcasters for the closing ceremony are Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weird, along with reporters Andrea Joyce and Lewis Johnson.

Alysa Liu on her future

The NBC crew caught up with Team USA star Alysa Liu, who won two gold medals at these Games, and asked her about her future in figure skating.

‘I have no plans to leave yet,’ she said. ‘I can’t imagine not skating next year.’

Liu had previously called competing at the 2022 Beijing Games ‘a job,’ but said the Milano Cortina Games were ‘definitely not a job.’

‘I just feel so lucky that I get to do this, and I love being an athlete. It’s the coolest thing in the world,’ she said.

Who is Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo?

Why does Greece go first at Olympics?

It’s tradition! Greece is the birthplace of the Olympic Games and holds this honor at every Olympics.

‘It was at Amsterdam 1928 that the tradition of the Greek delegation marching first was introduced – owing to the status of the founding country of the ancient Olympic Games,’ the official Olympics website reads.

Olympic flame arrives

The Flame, the very one that lit the cauldrons in Milano and Cortina after a 12,000 km journey, has arrived inVerona. Indeed, into the Verona. It’s time for the Olympic athletes to enter the arena.

Who is playing the Italian anthem?

Paolo Fresu, one of the world’s most influential trumpeters, begins the Italian anthem as the flag is hooked to the flag pole and raised. Fresu has recorded more than 500 albums since the 1980s.

The Choir of the Fondazione Arena di Verona sings from the Teatro Filarmonico, the second venue for thisceremony.

Celebrating Italy

The Italian flag arrives and the anthem of Italy is played.

Inside the Teatro Filarmonico

The Teatro Filarmonico di Verona is one of Italy’s leading opera houses, and features performances by the Choirand Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, which has presented opera, ballet and symphonic music for more than 50 years.

The theater is owned by the Accademia Filarmonica, founded in 1543, the oldest active musical institution in Europe. The theater opened on Jan. 6, 1732 with Antonio Vivaldi’s La Fida Ninfa. It was rebuilt and reopened after a fire in 1754, it also hosted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Destroyed by bombing in 1945, it was rebuilt to faithfully reflect its original layout.

Closing ceremony opens at the opera

The closing ceremony begins with a behind the scenes look at the world of the opera, with characters spilling out to the arena to welcome the athletes. Iconic characters such as Rigoletto, Figaro, Aida and Madama Butterfly perform.

What time is Olympics closing ceremony?

The closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Where to watch Olympics closing ceremony?

NBC is broadcasting the closing ceremony, and Peacock is live streaming it.

USA flag bearers for closing ceremony

Hilary Knight and Evan Bates have been chosen as Team USA’s flag bearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday.

Knight is the captain of the gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team, and her third-period goal against Canada ended up sending the game into overtime, where Megan Keller’s goal four minutes into the extra period gave the U.S. a 2-1 victory and their third gold medal in the event.

‘I’m so, so honored to be part of this team. You guys are all so wonderful. And I think I can speak for Evan and myself when I say we are all so proud of everything you guys have accomplished and the people that you are and the people that you’ve become to be here today,’ Knight said.

Bates also won a gold medal in the figure skating team event and another silver medal in ice dance with his partner and wife, Madison Chock.

Closing ceremony flag bearers

• Greece: Maria Eeni Tsiovolou (Alpine skiing)
• Albania: Volunteer
• Andorra: Volunteer
• Saudi Arabia: Volunteer
• Argentina: Veronica Maria Ravenna (luge), Franco Dal Farra (cross-country skiing)
• Armenia: Volunteer
• Australia: Danielle Scott (freestyle skiing), Cooper Woods (freestyle skiing)
• Austria: Janine Flock (skeleton), Alessandro Haemmerle (snowboard)
• Azerbaijan: Volunteer
• Belgium: TBD
• Benin: Nathan Tchibozo (Alpine skiing)
• Bolivia: Timo Juhani Gronlund (cross-country skiing)
• Bosnia & Herzegovina: Volunteer
• Brazil: Edson Luques Bindilatti (bobsled)
• Bulgaria: TBD
• Canada: TBD
• Czechia: Martina Sablikova (speed skating), Metodej Jilek (speed skating)
• Chile: Stephanie Joffroy (freestyle skiing)
• China: Su Yiming (freestyle skiing)
• Cyprus: Yianno Kouyoumdjian (Alpine skiing)
• Colombia: Volunteer
• Korea: Choi Minjeong (short-track speed skating), Hwang Daeheon (short-track speed skating)
• Croatia: Tena Hadzic (cross-country skiing), Marko Skender (cross-country skiing)
• Denmark: Anne Buenemann de Besche (biathlon), Viktor Hald Thorup (speed skating)
• Ecuador: Volunteer
• UA Emirates: Piera Hudson (Alpine skiing), Alexander Astridge (Alpine skiing)
• Eritrea: Shannon Abeda (Apline skiing)
• Estonia: Niina Petrokina (figure skating), Marten Liiv (speed skating)
• Philippines: Tallulah Proulx (Alpine skiing), Francis Ceccarelli (Alpine skiing)
• Finland: Iida Karhunen (figure skating)
• Georgia: Nino Tsiklauri (Alpine skiing), Luka Berulava (figure skating)
• Germany: Tobias Wendl (luge), Tobias Arlt (luge)
• Jamaica: Volunteer
• Japan: Kaori Sakamoto (figure skating), Wataru Morishige (speed skating)
• Great Britain: TBD
• Guinea-Bissau: Winston Tang (Alpine skiing)
• Haiti: Richardson Viano (Alpine skiing)
• Hong Kong: Volunteer
• India: Stanzin Lundup (cross-country skiing)
• Iran: Sadaf Savehshemshaki (Alpine skiing)
• Ireland: TBD
• Iceland: Dagur Benediktsson (cross-country skiing)
• Israel: TBD
• Kazakhstan: Mikhail Shaidorov (figure skating)
• Kenya: Issa Gachingiri Laborde Die Pere (Alpine skiing)
• Kosovo: Drin Kokaj (Alpine skiing)
• Kyrgyzstan: Volunteer
• Latvia: Patricija Eiduka (cross-country skiing), Roberts Kruzbergs (short-track speed skating)
• Lebanon: Samer Tawk (cross-country skiing)
• Liechtenstein: Volunteer
• Lithuania: Meda Variakojyte (figure skating), Modestas Vaiciulis (cross-country skiing)
• Luxembourg: Matthieu Osch (Alpine skiing)
• North Macedonia: Volunteer
• Madagascar: Mialitiana Clerc (Alpine skiing), Mathieu Gravier (Alpine skiing)
• Malaysia: Aruwin Salehhuddin (Alpine skiing)
• Malta: Volunteer
• Morocco: Volunteer
• Mexico: Sarah Schleper (Alpine skiing), Donovan Carrillo (figure skating)
• Republic of Moldova: Iulian Luchin (cross-country skiing)
• Monaco: Volunteer
• Mongolia: Ariuntungalag Enkhbayar (cross-country skiing), Achbadrakh Batmunkh (cross-country skiing)
• Montenegro: Volunteer
• Nigeria: Samuel Uduigowme Ikpefan (cross-country skiing)
• Norway: Aurora Grinden Lovas (speed skating), Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (cross-country skiing)
• New Zealand: TBD
• Netherlands: TBD
• Pakistan: Muhammad Karim (Alpine skiing)
• Poland: Gabriela Topolska (short-track speed skating), Vladimir Semirunniy (speed skating)
• Puerto Rico: Volunteer
• Portugal: Jose Cabeca (cross-country skiing)
• Romania: Julia Sauter (figure skating)
• San Marino: Rafael Minin (Alpine skiing)
• Serbia: Volunteer
• Singapore: Faiz Basha Munwar Basha (Alpine skiing)
• Slovakia: Rebeka Cully (ski mountaineering) Jakub Siarnik (ski mountaineering)
• Slovenia: Lila Grace Lapanja (Alpine skiing)
• Spain: Ana Alonso Rodriguez (ski mountaineering), Oriol Cardona Coll (ski mountaineering)
• South Africa: Thomas Weir (Alpine skiing)
• Sweden: Volunteer
• Switzerland: TBD
• Chinese Taipei: Sophia Tsu Velicer (cross-country skiing)
• Thailand: Karen Chanloung (cross-country skiing), Mark Chanloung (cross-country skiing)
• Trinidad and Tobago: De Aundre John (bobsled)
• Turkey: Volunteer
• Ukraine: Anhelina Brykina (freestyle skiing), Dmytro Kotovskyi (freestyle skiing)
• Hungary: Maria Pavlova (figure skating), Alexei Sviatchenko (figure skating)
• Uruguary: Volunteer
• Uzbekistan: Volunteer
• Venezuela: Volunteer
• United States: Hilary Knight (ice hockey), Evan Bates (figure skating)
• France: TBD
• Italy: Lisa Vittozzi (biathlon), Davide Ghiotto (speed skating)

Are the Olympics over?

Technically, no. The closing ceremony will mark the official end to the Milano Cortina Games. However, there are no more events on the schedule. Competition ended with Team USA’s 2-1 overtime win against Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game.

Why are so many countries skipping the closing ceremony?

There’s going to be even fewer athletes at the closing ceremony than usual.

Twenty-eight of the 92 countries at 2026 Milano Cortina Games won’t have an athlete flagbearer because none of their athletes will be at the ceremony. Another 35 will have only one flagbearer because they won’t any athletes of the other gender present.

The United States will have both flagbearers, hockey captain Hilary Knight and ice dancer Evan Bates.

While not having enough athletes to be flagbearers is a bit out of the ordinary, it’s also not necessarily a surprise. The closing ceremony always has a smaller athlete contingent because so many leave when their events are over. That’s especially true at the Winter Games, because many World Cup circuits resume a few days after the Olympics end and several sports have world championships within the next month.

The women’s Alpine speed skiers, for example, have a race on Friday, Feb. 27. The speed skating world championships begin March 5.

But the widespread footprint of these Games also makes it difficult for athletes in the mountain clusters to get to Verona, site of the closing ceremony.

It’s a four-hour plus trip from Livigno to Verona, and three hours from Cortina. Both sites had events earlier Sunday – the women’s freeski halfpipe final was in Livigno while the women’s curling gold medal game and four-man bobsled were in Cortina – making it near-impossible for those athletes to make it to closing in time.

For countries that don’t have a male or female athlete available to be a flagbearer, a volunteer will carry the flag. For those that only have either a male or female athlete, there will only be one flagbearer. — Nancy Armour

Olympic closing ceremony time

The closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Who won men’s ice hockey gold medal game?

Who is Johnny Gaudreau?

Johnny Gaudreau was a former NHL star who was on track to play for the United States during these 2026 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died in a cycling accident in New Jersey on Aug. 29, 2024, after the pair were struck by a drunk driver.

The U.S. men’s hockey team paid homage to him throughout the tournament, hanging his jersey in their locker room. Gaudreau’s family members were also in attendance for Sunday’s gold medal game, and when Jack Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime, the Americans wasted no time parading Gaudreau’s jersey around the ice, honoring him as part of the championship team. — Jon Hoefling

Jack Hughes teeth

Team USA men’s ice hockey hero Jack Hughes slapped the game-winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada, but his ear-to-ear smile was missing something in the postgame celebration.

‘My first thought was, I looked down on the ice and saw my teeth,’ Hughes said, giving media members a big toothless grin on Sunday. ‘Like, here we go again…  I know the last time that happened, wasn’t really fun.’ — Cydney Henderson, Steve Gardner

Eight days ago, Tyler Reddick had eight NASCAR Cup Series victories in his six years at NASCAR’s top level. Now, he’s the first driver to win back-to-back races to open a season in nearly two decades.

Reddick led the Cup Series field away at the start of the Autotrader 400 Sunday at EchoPark Speedway. It took a furious comeback in the final stage of the race but Reddick gave 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan his second victory in a row.

He even did it while missing a piece of his front right fender.

‘This place, over the years, man, it just puts on some amazing racing,’ Reddick said after the win.

‘Handling matters here but I don’t know, I guess determination outweighs handling,’ he added, gesturing to exposed right front tire.

Jordan was equally elated to have his team go back-to-back in 2026 to open the year.

‘Tyler did an unbelievable job, both teams did an unbelievable job,’ he said.

Reddick had to maneuver through two overtime periods – including contact in the first overtime with his teammate Bubba Wallace and other frontrunners. He managed to hold on for a win over Chase Briscoe by just 0.164 seconds.

Ross Chastain, Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suárez rounded out the top five runners at the checkered flag.

USA TODAY Sports has your full results for the NASCAR Atlanta Autotrader 400 and highlights from Sunday’s thrilling race:

NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta highlights

NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta: Full results

Here’s how the field finished the Autotrader 400:

1. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
2. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
3. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
4. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
5. (7) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet
6. (97) Shane van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
7. (38) Zane Smith, Ford
8. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
9. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
10. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
11. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
12. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
13. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
14. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
15. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
16. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
17. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
18. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
19. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
20. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
21. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
22. (41) Cole Custer, Chevrolet
23. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
24. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
25. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
26. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
27. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet
28. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
29. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
30. (88) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet
31. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet
32. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
33. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
34. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
35. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
36. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
37. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
38. (21) Josh Berry, Ford

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta start?

The Autotrader 400 starts at 3 p.m. ET at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) in Hampton, Georgia.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta on?

Fox is broadcasting the Autotrader 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can also tune in to the radio broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta live stream

The Autotrader 400 can be live streamed on the Fox Sports website, the Fox Sports app and Hulu. Viewers can also stream the race on Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.

Watch the Autotrader 400 on Fubo (free trial)

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta?

Though the Autotrader 400 has a new name, the race itself remains unchanged: 260 laps around the 1.54-mile track for a total of 400.4 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 100 laps; Stage 3: 100 laps.

What is the lineup for the Autotrader 400 at Atlanta?

Qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather. Instead, Sunday’s lineup was set by a qualifying metric. (Car number in parentheses)

1. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
2. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
3. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
4. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
5. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
6. (38) Zane Smith, Ford
7. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
8. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
9. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
10. (21) Josh Berry, Ford
11. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
12. (7) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet
13. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
14. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
15. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
16. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
17. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
18. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet
19. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
20. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
21. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
22. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
23. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
24. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
25. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
26. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
27. (41) Cole Custer, Chevrolet
28. (97) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
29. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
30. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
31. (88) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet
32. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
33. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
34. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
35. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
36. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
37. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
38. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet

The Los Angeles Lakers honored former coach Pat Riley during a ceremony outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 22. The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of a bronze statue of the legendary coach’s likeness.

It’s the 15th statue put up outside the arena, joining a list of notable figures from Lakers history, including Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Riley’s statue is nearly eight feet tall and weighs 510 pounds and is located between the statues of Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, his two star players on the ‘Showtime’ Lakers of the 1980s.

Riley did not have head coaching experience when he was promoted to head coach of the Lakers during the 1981-82 season. But Riley became the perfect fit for the Lakers during the 1980s and the ‘Showtime’ Lakers went to seven NBA Finals under Riley, winning four championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).

“This right here is off the charts of being honored,” Riley told CBS Los Angeles.”I am just so privileged to have this here.”

Here’s a look at the statue:

Pat Riley coaching record

Riley spent 24 years as a head coach and compiled 1,381 regular-season and playoff victories, which ranks fifth in NBA history. He has a regular season record of 1,210-694 (.636 winning percentage). In addition to his four championships with the Lakers, Riley won another title with the Miami Heat in 2006 and has added two more rings as an executive.

Is Pat Riley in the Basketball Hall of Fame?

Riley was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

MILAN — After Hilary Knight and the U.S. women’s national hockey team won a gold medal over Canada, the five-time Olympian lifted an American flag over her shoulders in celebration of the overtime win.

The flag that was draped over the shoulders of Knight, widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time, was procured by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum and displayed at the Starbucks Winter House, where Knight and the U.S. women’s hockey team celebrated with friends and family early into the morning.

Following the conclusion of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Knight’s American flag that represents a moment in history will journey over 5,000 miles to its new home at the USOPC Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

‘We love to bring back artifacts right from the Games, so fans can see something they just saw on TV and be able to point that out,’ USOPC museum archival specialist Oriana Va’i told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday.

The USOPC museum hosted its first activation during the Games to raise awareness about the museum, which features countless treasures, including the ‘Miracle on Ice’ scoreboard from Team USA’s hockey upset over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics. The U.S. men’s team went on to become Olympic champions Sunday, defeating Canada in overtime on the 46th anniversary of the iconic upset.

‘It’s set on three seconds. And three seconds is the moment that Al Michaels said, ‘Do you believe in miracles?” said 1988 Olympic figure skating champion Brian Boitano, whose Olympic costume is also on display at the museum.

USOPC Chief Content & Integration Officer Lindsay Flanagan Huban said the exhibition has helped introduce people to the museum. ‘We wanted (athletes) to know that we’re here and happy to be a partner in helping share their legacy,’ she added.

The USOPC museum is home to one of only two complete collections of Olympic torches and gold medals in the world. The other is in Switzerland, meaning the museum has the only set in North America. Huban and Va’i brought three of those torches to Milano Cortina — from 2022 Beijing to mark the last Winter Games, 2024 Paris to mark the last Summer Games and the 1984 Los Angeles torch in honor of the next host of the Games.

‘The Olympic medal display is my favorite,’ Boitano said, adding the torches exhibition is another favorite. ‘The gold medals from pre-war are works of art. They’re all pretty, but it’s kind of fun to go back.’

Medal care kits

Pin trading is extremely popular among athletes in the Olympic village at the 2026 Winter Games, but another hot commodity emerged among U.S. medalists — medal care kits. They are the brainchild of Va’i, who figured athletes would benefit from the same protective equipment at the museum.

‘I (take) artifacts in and out. And when I get medals in that look chipped, dinged or tarnished, I really would like them to be in nice archival boxes to keep them safe just for people to enjoy a hundred years from now,’ Va’i told USA TODAY Sports. ‘So I make medal care kits for the medals we have on display or in our storage, and I figured, why don’t we give them to athletes, directly to them?’

The medal care kits include an acid free box, the same containers ‘used in the museum to take care of artifacts in our collection,’ Huban said.

The box is filled with acid free tissue paper to prevent the medal from tarnishing and has a foam component to safely wrap the lanyard to prevent wrinkles or creases. The kit also provides medalists with white cotton gloves, lint-free wipes to remove smudges and instructions on what to use and what not to use on medals. (‘A little bit of dish soap and some warm water goes a long way,’ Huban said.)

The kits have been wildly popular among athletes. Five-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater Bonnie Blair grabbed one — or five — as did Boitano, the 1988 Olympic figure skating champion, who snagged one while visiting the USOPC museum exhibition at the Starbucks Winter House with USA TODAY Sports.

‘There’s more trouble than athletes ever anticipated with them, too,’ Boitano said. ‘I never thought that. I mean, never. I’ve never taken mine out really, very rarely. And just sit in a safe somewhere, it still has tarnished. I mean, Bonnie (Blair) actually keeps hers in her pocket. … So literally at a dinner party, she’ll be like, ‘Have you seen my gold medal?’ It’s like she’ll pull it out. Literally, she had probably hundreds of people touch it here.’

Word of the medal care kits even got back to the 1998 women’s hockey team that won gold in the inaugural women’s competition: A member of the squad grabbed one and ‘forwarded the message to her whole team in their group chat. And we’ve heard from four different members of the team saying, I want one,’ Huban said.

‘It’s nice to see (athletes) actually using them here,’ Va’i added.

Procuring artifacts

One of the most important additions to the medal care kit is a card with contact information for athletes that want to be memorialized in the museum by loaning or donating Olympic or Paralympic memorabilia. It’s one of two ways the USOPC museum procures artifacts.

‘Chris Mazdzer, a luge athlete, reached out and said, ‘Hey, the luge gloves that you have on display are from the seventies. They don’t look like that anymore. Do you want mine instead?’ And I said, ‘Yes, please, that would be lovely,’ ‘ Huban recalled. ‘So he sent us two pairs. So one is on display and one is actually on a demonstration card so people can pick it up and touch them, and they have spikes on the fingertips.’

Athletes reaching out is one way. The USOPC museum making first contact is another.

‘We’ll come up with an exhibit idea and then decide what are the best stories that we need to tell to support this exhibit, and how do we source the artifacts to support those stories?’ Huban said. ‘And we say, ‘Hey, we would like to feature you in an exhibit. Can we borrow something to put on display?”

Boitano said it’s amazing to know the costume he wore to win Olympic gold is in proper hands: ‘Our costumes are made out of spandex, and spandex doesn’t age very well. So it’s great to know that it’s being taken care of.’

Huban said building trust and connections with athletes is another goal of the Winter House exhibition to help the museum collect pieces for future exhibits. She added, ‘We want to support the athletes and support Team USA.’

Reach Cydney Henderson, USA Today’s National Women’s Sports Reporter, at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

The U.S. men’s hockey team paid an emotional tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau during the gold medal celebration at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

It was a bittersweet moment for those who fully expected Gaudreau to be a member of Team USA in these Winter Games, if not for his untimely death on Aug. 29, 2024. 

Despite his absence, the American team found ways to honor him throughout the tournament, hanging his jersey in their locker room. Gaudreau’s family members were also in attendance for Sunday’s gold medal game. And when Jack Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime, the players and coaches made sure Gaudreau’s jersey and his children were out on the ice for the team photo.

What happened to Johnny Gaudreau?

Johnny Gaudreau, a seven-time NHL All-Star with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, is the USA’s all-time leading scorer in international play. ‘Johnny Hockey,’ as he was known, would likely have been a lock to make the U.S. Olympic team.

But that was before Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed on Aug. 29 after being hit by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes down a country road in Salem County, New Jersey, near their family hometown.

The driver of the car, 44-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was indicted on two counts of reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated manslaughter, one count of tampering with physical evidence and one count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident.